A Study of Water Institutions in Utah and Their Influence on the Planning, Developing, and Managing of Water Resources

Preface: For the purposes of this study an institution is defined as a formal framework or organization through which men pool their efforts and resources to accomplish specific purposes. Included in this framework is the pattern of organization and authority, the legal structure and the governmental rules and regulations that must be adhered to during the process of reaching the stated goals. The institutions related to water resources are many and varied and include: political governments (state, county, city, etc.); subdivisions of government created by legislative consent such as irrigation districts, special improvement districts, metropolitan water companies (a department in city government); private organizations created by legislative consent such as domestic water utilities, mutual irrigation companies (a special form of corporation), water users association; and gargantuan organizations stemming from the federal government such as the Bureau of Reclamation, the Soil Conservation Service, and the Corps of Engineers. All of the organizations have built-in restrictions and constraints that influence the type of service rendered and the attitudes and motivation of the people who serve. One glaring conclusion that this research have brought to light is that the type of organization does make a difference. Many of the inefficiencies in water use, wasteful water practices, mismanagement of water enterprises, unjust allocation of water resources, long-term public debt and the high cost of public investment into needed or needless projects, can be attributed to the type of organization with the attendant fence s, barriers, internal motivating functions, and policies engendered and perpetuated by it. It can be argued that the organizations are only as effective as the people within the organization, but this study would indicate that in some respects the opposite is more nearly the truth – that the people are only as effective and as efficient as the organization will let them be. Perhaps the political economists have an answer as to why this happens – that it does happen is the conclusion of this study. It has been said that even at the top levels of major water development agencies, new individuals with previous backgrounds in other industries, within a short time take on the policies and direction of the agency and become its advocate. The Bureau of Reclamation, for example, has changed its policies very little in 70 years – but men have changed their policies to fit the Bureau. Similarly, many have chastised the poor, ignorant farmer for the waste and inefficiency in small mutual irrigation companies. This study would suggest that the inefficiency is in the organization – not the farmer. As a final point, the nature and magnitude of the problem must be mentioned. Recognizing that a problem is of organizational origin is on thing – changing that organization is another problem. Knowing where the problem lies will help to formulate a solution. Efforts to have people change against the established purposes and procedures of an organization have usually failed. Rearranging the organizational structure, however, can so shift emphasis and incentives that the desired ends can be accomplished. Maybe, with a new awareness, changing the organizational structure will not be so difficult

A Critical Analysis of Water Rights and Institutional Factors and Their Effect on the Development of Logan River

The physical setting of the Logan River Drainage Basin is first described with emphasis on the hydrologic and climatic factors that made the river an economic and social benefit. The historical development of the river by man is then traced, and changes in water use patterns are pointed out. Methods used to administer water rights as water use patterns change is then described. Legal controversies over water rights on the river are examined and methods of solving problems analyzed. A recent law suit between Logan City Corporation and the Logan River Water Users Association is examined in detail and the benefits resulting from the litigation noted. Drilling four new wells to supplement the City supply avoided costly judgements and benefited all users

New Concepts For Preliminary Hydropower Design: The Powermax Slope, Binary Turbine Sizing, and Static Regain

In Utah during the 1960s, the cost of producing electrical energy was as much, or in some cases more, by hydroelectric generation than by plants using steam from coal fired boilers. The relatively high hydropower cost was generally attributed to maintenance and replacement costs associated with plants that had been build in the 1920s. Utah Power & Light Company during the 1960 period decided not to renew power licenses and to abandon many small hdyroplants. Since 1973, rising coal and related fossil fuel costs have caused steam generation costs to accelerate and have made hydroelectric generation relatively more attractive. However, the capital cost of replacing deteriorated pipelines and restoring plants to production capability is high, and the prospect of large capital investment during periods of high interest rates creates a hesitancy to renovate existing or to construct new small hydro units. The cost analysis to replace abandoned plants or to construct new plants has been generally based on restoring an existing configuration or building to design standards in use at the time of the original structure. The traditional design method was to design a pipeline on a flat slope with a relatively large pipe diameter. This method maximized head, but minimized the flow. The resultant energy was therefore less than the potential, but constant. This method also confined the variations in flow to a range that could be handled by a single, or the most two, variable geometry turbines. The flow point on the typical flow duration curve for western mountain streams where the ratio of maximum to minimum flow variation is 4 to 1 or less is at is at or near the 25 percent exceedance level. It is shown in this report that the same diameter pipeline as used in traditional design can by sloped to maximize the power output of the plant (powermax slope) and thus increase the annual energy production by 149 to 186 percent, the difference being dependent upon the amount of energy recovered by the static regain in pressure pipelines when flows are reduced below the maximum. This optimized flow and head without changing the cost of the pipeline. The effect is to reduce the unit cost of energy produced. The higher flow at the powermax slope has a greater variability and will therefore require turbines with greater variability. It is demonstrated that multiple fixed geometry turbines sized in binary steps can effectively span flow variability ratios from 10 to 1 or greater and be installed at less cost than custom designed variable geometry units. Thus, designing at the points on the flow duration curve corresponding to the 10 percent or lower exceedance level is economically feasible. Combining the powermax concept for pipelines with the concept of using binary sized turbines and a pressure system to use the static regain concept can result in hydro plant designs that utilize a greater portion of the potential energy at a given site and reduce the unit cost of energy

Using Remote Infrared Sensors to Detect Changes in Moisture Conditions on Natural Watersheds

Foreword: This report summarizes the results of laboratory measurements of the infrared reflectance of selected living plants typical of the natural watersheds in northern Utah. Data indicate that the IR reflectance decreases as the moisture content of the soil decreases and the moisture tension in the soil increases. Additional data will be collected in the field to confirm the results and to further tests the feasibility of using IR reflectance of vegetation as an indicator of soil moisture conditions on the watershed. Mr. Briscoe, Research Physicist, has been responsible for the gathering of laboratory data and has written the manuscript for this report. Introduction: The continuing world-wide population explosion is placing an ever-increasing demand on present usable water supplies, and water shortages are becoming more severe. While scientists and engineers are working to produce additional fresh water by weather control or desalination, much can be done to alleviate water shortages by better management of our watershed areas. In order to make optimum use of our watersheds, we must develop improved methods of determining the water conditions within them. An important contribution toward improved watershed management would be made if some method could be devised which would facilitate data aquisition of watershed parameters. The purpose of this study has been to investigate the feasibility of measuring these parameters by remote reconnaissance methods. The remote sensing technique has been applied, to some extent, in the science of hydrology. Although some of the measurements taken have indicated that various hydrological factors influence the data received, comprehensive results are not available relating to quantitative measurements of water conditions. The procedure followed in this study was to conduct a literature survey of data available at all regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, and then to perform laboratory spectral measurements on certain areas which showed promise

Boeing Engineering and Construction; Groundwater and Surface Water Investigation Report

Boeing Engineering and Construction (BEAC) is investigating the feasibility of transporting Utah coal via slurry pipeline to the west coast. Such an investigation requires an abundance of data concerning such things as they availability and quality of water which can be slurried with coal, the location of such water with respect to the deposits of coal, and the ultimate disposal of the water at the pipeline\u27s end. This study generated a limited amount of new data and gathered existing data and information related to surface and underground water within a 50-mile radius of Emery, Utah, but restricted primarily to the Colorado River drainage. Data were gathered also of coal and water in mines within the same area, and determinations were made of their mutual effects on each other when slurried together in the laboratory. Tasks are listed and discussed in this report in the same order as they appear in the research proposal. Supporting data and information in the form of maps, tables, charts, and references are also included

Evaluation of Miramat Under High Velocity Flows

Introduction: Newly constructed earth channels and steep cut and fill slopes on construction projects need temporary protection from water erosion until a protective cover of vegetation can be grown. In some instances the temporary protective measures can be left in position to serve as part of the permanent system. Various kinds of vegetative and chemical mulches are available for use as temporary control measures, and other materials such as jute, fiberglass roving, and excelsior blanket are also in use. However, for large volumes of flow and for high velocities, more substantial materials are required. One class of such materials is referred to as ECRM, or Erosion Control and Revegetation Mats. These are designed primarily for use on steep slopes and in drainage channels where high velocities of flow are encountered, and where mulches are not effective. Mirafi engineers, in cooperations with 3M Company, have developed an ECRM called Miramat, which is a flexible, three-dimensional web of bonded binyl monofilaments. Since commercial introduction, it has gained rapid market acceptance, but more information was desired on its performance capabilities and limitations. The objective of the present study was to conduct performance tests in the laboratory of two ECRMs, Miramat and Enkamat. one measure of the protective ability of such material is the flow velocity it can withstand before excessive erosion occurs. The determination of this permissible velocity was one of the objectives of these tests

Problems of Small Privately Operated Water Companies in Utah

Although one in seven domestic water supply systems in Utah are privately owned and operated, they are characteristically small with 94 percent serving populations of less than 1,000. Per capita costs of service vary greatly but become relatively high for locations that are remote, where terrain and climate are extreme, where scale economies are absent, and where materials and skills for system repair and replacement are not locally available. Statistics indicate that the incidence of water quality violations relate strongly to system size. Yet corrections are often more difficult to achieve because well trained and full time operators cannot be justified. Private water purveyors in Utah operate as 1) customer (mutually) owned nonprofit systems, and 2) investor owned companies selling domestic water for profit and thus regulated by the Public Service Commission (PSC) as private utilities. Kinds of problems experienced bear a relation to company origin and demographic dynamics. Many of the older private systems are appendages to, or outgrowths of, mutually owned irrigation companies. Their problems generally relate to urbanization and annexation processes. Newer systems are commonly creatures of land development activities that have taken place in more remote areas with appealing natural landscapes and/or recreational attractions. Their problems relate largely to upfront decisions and disclosure about plans for perpetual operation and unrealistic budgeting and financing to provide quality service. Private water companies are confronted with some discouragements and disadvantages not experienced by their public counterparts in Utah. 1) The justification required to get approval for rate increases through the PSC is tedious and costly. The process is geared to regulation of large electrical, gas, oil, and telephone utilities. 2) Private systems are ineligible for the government grants and low interest loan programs that are commonly available to public water systems. Thus, they experience higher costs for capital improvements. 3) Private water companies are subjected to more stringent proff-of-use requirements in obtaining and maintaining their water rights. The State Engineer is less liberal in granting private entities the acquisition and maintenance of water rights to provide for future needs. 4) Private systems are subject to property and income taxes. The property taxes can be substantial because domestic water water systems are capital intensive. 5) There is a prevailing perception among the Utah populace that least cost service is better assured through public ownership and management. Taken together, these factors tend to discourage the operation of private systems and hasten their conversion (or sale) to public entities. In view of the small number of investor owned water companies operating in Utah and their characteristically small size, PSC needs to streamline its regulatory procedures or let the needed consumer protections be provided within the framework of county government